Thank you, Nan. And thank you Mayor Dow and members of the Mobile
City Council and Mobile County Commission for your warm welcome to
Alabama's Tricentennial City.

There is perhaps no greater joy for a librarian than to help open
the doors to a new home of learning and literature. Today, we celebrate
the opening of the West Regional branch and the rich and enduring
history of the Mobile Public Library. This is more than one of the
oldest libraries in Alabama; it is a haven for words, stories and
readers.

As a child, my mother and I would spend afternoons at the Midland
Public Library in the Midland County Courthouse basement. I remember
the smell of new books and the quiet serenity of the basement and.
Here, in this new library, Mobile's children can visit the little house
on the prairie. They can sail across the sea on a whaling ship and sing
carols with Joe and Marmie. They can read some of Alabama's finest
authors - Truman Capote and Harper Lee. And they can experience the
enchanting words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who summed up my love
for libraries and most of all, my love of reading in a few short
sentences. She wrote:

"Books, books, books.piled high, packed large.where like some small
nimble mouse. I nibbled here and there at this or that, pulling through
the gap, in heats of terror, haste, victorious joy - the first book
first. And how I felt it beat under my pillow, in the morning's dark.
An hour before the sun would let me read! My books!"

I wish for every child the same love of reading I have. And I wish
for the children of Mobile the opportunity to find that love here in
the new West Regional Library. I have no doubt that they will. Much has
changed here since the doors first opened 100 years ago. But Mobile's
commitment to neighborhood libraries that provide families with
unmatched educational resources is stronger than ever.

After months of anticipation, this building is ready for learning,
reading, and conversation. This library, like thousands across America,
stands as a beacon for education and information.

Children know that if they have a question about the world, the
library is the place to find the answer. And someone will always be
here to help them find the answer - our dedicated librarians.

I want to thank the librarians here today for joining us. Your job
is an important one. Our nation runs on the fuel of information and
imagination that libraries provide. And librarians are in charge of
collecting and sharing this information in a helpful way. Librarians
educate and inform the public, and by doing so, they strengthen our
great democracy.

Mobile will be strengthened too by this grand addition to the
community. West Regional will hold 200 thousand books and will bridge
the information highway with a technology center, computers and
classes. A special children's reading room will be a welcoming place
for kids to spread out and experience the joy of story-telling. These
rooms will be part of a living, active library - hosting book
discussion groups, exhibitions and citywide cultural events.

I want to thank the Friends of the Mobile Public Library for their
support of this great learning institution. Your tireless efforts make
the main library and its six branches an inviting place for one million
visitors every year - and with the largest summer reading program in
Alabama, a great place for children to spend long, summer days. I would
also like to commend the city of Mobile and the many private citizens
for their generous support.

You should be proud of the investment you have made in your
community and your future - especially your children's future. As we
open new doors today, we open a new chapter in the history of the
Mobile Public Library - and we ensure that this institution continues
to be a living repository for information, education and beloved
books.

In 1902, the opening of the Mobile Public Library was announced in
the Mobile Register newspaper. Today, with those same words, I proclaim
with great pride, "The West Regional Library has been thrown open to
the general public." I wish you another 100 history-rich and
story-filled years here in Mobile.